CHAPEL HILL — A late-season surge that propelled Clayton into the statewide conversation fell a step short of state championship glory Friday night as Grimsley knocked off the Comets, 24-14, in front a large contingent of Comet fans at Kenan Stadium.

Clayton quarterback Aiden Smalls, the East Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game, rushed for 167 yards and two scores while adding another 91 in the air to finish a outstanding career for the Comets (12-3).

Grimsley (15-0) rushed for 187 yards, paced by Micah Williams’ 101 and Faizon Brandon’s 65 and a score. Brandon, a five-star recruit pledged to Tennessee, added 126 yards and a score in his final high school game.

In the old days, I would have written most of this story in the press box at the stadium, then when they kicked me out, I would have finished it in my car. Then, depending on how olden of a night we’re talking about, I would have found a payphone to read it to someone on the copy desk, or a McDonald’s with WiFi to send the file.

Well, you can see the time stamp.

One thing we are going to do as we would have back in the salad days of newspapers is the concept of a developing story. You write one, right after. Quick and dirty. Just the facts. Then, you expand it a bit after the press conference. Finally, much later, you write the full-length, Sunday-feature-length version.

We’re going to do that here, but Sunday will arrive in the form of the January issue of Johnston Now Magazine.

Until then, here’s the box score from last night.

And the audio from Clayton’s postgame press scrum is here: